Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 30-09, Section: A, page: 3964. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1969.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 32-11, Section: A, page: 6464. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1971.

The purpose of this investigation was to explore the service orientation of government documents librarians in academic libraries. A researcher-designed questionnaire, sent to 298 staff members of the 151 academic federal depository libraries of the Southeast, had a return rate of 76 percent. It sought to measure the service orientation of government documents librarians on four different scales: actual, ideal, user, and resource, as related to selected demographic and environmental variables. It also sought to determine whether or not a significant difference exists between the actual and ideal service perceptions of government documents librarians and whether or not government documents librarians are more user service oriented than non-librarian support staff. / Factor analysis was employed to revise the scales of questionnaire items used. Responses to the revised scales were analyzed through mean scores, percentages, Pearson correlation, and t-tests. / Four scales were correlated with five personal characteristics of librarians and eight characteristics of the work environment. The following variables showed significant correlations with the scales indicated: age/ACTUAL; sex/IDEAL; educational background/ACTUAL, IDEAL, USER; professional activities/IDEAL; prior occupational activities/IDEAL; size of collection/ACTUAL, IDEAL, USER; bibliographic access/ACTUAL, USER, RESOURCE; percentage of FTE time spent working with government documents/ACTUAL, IDEAL, USER; percentage of FTE/USER, ACTUAL; classification scheme used/IDEAL, USER, RESOURCE; publicity/IDEAL, USER; and circulation policy/USER, RESOURCE. User service orientation had the highest number of significant correlations with both personal and environmental characteristics. Environmental characteristics indicated the strongest relationship to service orientation of documents librarians. Findings indicated documents librarians to be more interested in the delivery system to the user in library service than in the resource base of service. / A significant difference exists between the actual and ideal perceptions of government documents librarians who felt a need for improvement from practical to ideal applications. / Government documents librarians may be slightly more user service oriented than non-librarian support staff, who are slightly more resource oriented, but results are not significant and therefore inconclusive. The results of the current study indicate a positive perception of service on the part of government documents librarians. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-11, Section: A, page: 3232. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-09, Section: A, page: 4786. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.

The purpose of this study was to utilize the Delphi technique for university community involvement in generating data for consideration for inclusion in the library building program at Florida Institute of Technology. / Three rounds of questionnaires were administered to Trustees, Vice-Presidents, Deans for Directors, Academic Department Heads, Other Administrators, Librarians, Faculty, Students, and Alumni of the institution. / In Round I eighty-two participants were requested to consider a list of 25 factors generated by the research, plus any other factors of their choosing, and suggest what facilities and services they felt would be appropriate for the university's new library. Seventy respondents submitted a total of 428 statements. A second questionnaire was developed and pretested. Improvements were incorporated into a revised instrument consisting of fifty-five statements and Round II was submitted to seventy panelists. / They were asked to rate each statement on two Likert-type five point scales indicating their perception of the desirability and feasibility for the university's new library building program. The responses were tabulated and the median was calculated. In Round III, the fifty-five statements, with the Round II median responses circled, were sent to sixty-seven participants. The panelists were asked to consider the statements again, and if their rating differed from the median response to change their rating to the median or briefly state the reason for their divergent view. Fifty-seven panelists responded and consensus was achieved in fifty-four statements regarding desirability, and fifty-three statements regarding feasibility. / Statements top-rated "very desirable" and "definitely feasible" dealt with the building's central location and access to it, energy efficiency lighting, air conditioning and heating, and humidity control. Self-service copy capability and special provisions for handicapped patrons were also top-rated on both scales. / Additional microform facilities, an electronic book and journal security system, and expansion of the bound journal collection were rated "very desirable" and "possibly feasible" as was facilitating the information transfer process by computerization and network membership. An elective course in how to use the library's resources was rated "definitely feasible" and "desirable". / Findings. (1) The Delphi technique did provide useful data for consideration for the library building program at Florida Institute of Technology. (2) Fifty-four statements achieved consensus on the desirability scale with an average degree of 86.5%. On the feasibility scale fifty-three statements achieved consensus with an average degree of 85.5%. The three rounds of questionnaires gave the study's director and the participants greater insight into the planning/problem area, and the respondents did evaluate the proposed alternatives. Therefore, the consensual, heuristic, and evaluative goals of the technique were accomplished. (3) There was dramatic movement toward the consensual viewpoint between Round II and III. Analysis of score changes indicated that approximately half the respondents in each sub-group changed score to the consensual response. (4) Library oriented goals such as a high number of volumes and seating spaces, computer assisted instruction, and comprehensive audio-visual capability were ranked lower than energy efficiency; lighting, air conditioning and heating, and humidity control; and self-service copy capability. (5) There was a high degree of correlation (SQRT.(s = .84) between what was perceived as desirable and feasible by the respondents. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-08, Section: A, page: 3307. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

The purpose of the study was to examine the vocational-technical shop collections in public two-year colleges and to compare the perceptions of vocational-technical faculty and librarians regarding the relationship between the shop collection and the library as they relate to the vocational-technical instructional program. / Base data concerning the size, type of materials, budgetary and bibliographic control, use, circulation and accessibility of materials in shop collections in junior colleges and technical schools was collected. / Hypotheses were tested to investigate the perceptions of faculty and librarians regarding (1) the role of the shop collection, (2) the relationship of the shop collection to the central learning resources center and (3) the use and value of the learning resources center for the vocational-technical instructional programs. / A mail questionnaire was used to collect data. The population consisted of librarians and vocational-technical faculty in community colleges and technical schools in six southern states. / Frequency counts, responses in terms of percentages and chi-square test of significance statistics were used to analyze the findings and test the hypotheses. / Although the trend in community colleges is toward centralization of resources, the results of this study indicated over sixty percent of the faculty have shop collections. Most of these collections had fewer than 300 items consisting of general works in subject area, textbooks, audio-visual materials and magazines and journals. Faculty and Librarians perceived the shop collections as primary sources of instructional materials for vocational-technical programs but they also believed shop collections were supplemental to the central library. Faculty considered the library's holdings in their subject areas less adequate and placed less importance on the use of library materials to expand course content than did librarians. Faculty and librarians agreed that geographic location was an important determinant of use. The faculty believed that materials housed in the library would receive more use if located in a more accessible shop collection. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-11, Section: A, page: 4632. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

The purpose of this study was to survey business managers and library directors in order to identify variables affecting the final decision on library budgets in institutions awarding at least the baccalaureate, but less than the doctorate degree. / Seventy-five institutions, 5.3%, were randomly selected from a 1,412 population and surveyed in March, 1978. A total of 125 (83.3%) questionnaires were returned from 150 questionnaires mailed to business managers and library directors of sample institutions. A questionnaire was returned by either the business manager, library director or both from 73 of the 75 sample institutions giving an institutional response of 97.3%. / The research questions for this study were: (1) What budgeting variables do library directors and business managers perceive as affecting the final decision on library budgets? (2) To what extent does the literature cover the variables affecting the final decision on library budgets as reflected by library directors and business managers? (3) To what degree are budgeting principles applied to the final decision on library budgets? (4) Does the type of budgeting technique affect the final decision on library budgets? (5) What quantifiable variables affect the final decision on library budgets? (6) To what extent does the library program affect the final decision on library budgets? / Findings. Forty-nine budgeting variables were identified by library directors and forty-five variables were given by business managers with thirty-eight common variables. There was a positive correlation (.76) between these common budgeting variables. / By combining the weighted percentage of each variable, the overall top ten budgeting variables were: (1) Estimate of income, (2) Size of student body, (3) Number of academic programs, (4) Last year's library budget, (5) Librarian's recommendation, (6) Last year's institutional budget, (7) Inflation factor, (8) Tuition, (9) Dean's recommendation, and (10) Accrediting agencies. / A survey of the literature on librarianship and higher education resulted in the classification of budgeting variables into four broad categories: external variables, the budgeting process, quantifiable variables, and the library program. An analysis of the literature variables and those identified by the sample respondents revealed that the variables chosen by respondents are reflected in the literature. The extent of coverage varies with variable category, with quantifiable variables being ranked more extensively than other literature categories. / Budgetary principles are applied in the decision-making process concerning the library budgets. Last year's library budget is used as the base for establishing this year's budget in the majority of survey institutions. The point in the budgetary decision-making process where the final decision is reached on the library budget will generally be in the budget committee's or business manager's meeting with the chief executive officer. / The predominant budgeting technique used by survey institutions is incremental/line item. The type of budgeting technique used appears to have little effect on the final decision on the library budget. / Twenty-one of the forty-nine budgeting variables identified by library directors are quantifiable. Twenty-two of the forty-five budgeting variables identified by business managers are quantifiable. The first six variables ranked by library directors are quantifiable, while business managers ranked four of their top six as quantifiable. / The library program (services it provides) as a whole, and used in its broad context, does have an effect on the final decision concerning the library budget; however, individual components of the program have limited influence on the final decision. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-03, Section: A, page: 0838. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

The purpose of this study was to survey Black academic libraries in small towns of the South and to develop an historical analysis of their library service practices to the Black community. The period, 1940-1970, was used in order to show the patterns and trends of these library practices. / The criteria for selection of Black academic libraries were based on population densities of the towns in which each Black institution was located. The 1940 census data were used to identify towns of 35,000 or less. Twenty-five Black private and public academic libraries met the criteria. Data were collected from a mail survey from Black academic library directors. The information obtained was analyzed in three categories: historical, user population and services provided, and the present status of the library program. An hypothesis was used as a guide for one aspect of this study. It was hypothesized that both Black private and public academic libraries provided the same library services to the Black community. / The data revealed that Black public academic libraries had significantly fewer community based library programs than Black private academic libraries. The latter played an advocacy role among children and young adults, while the Black public academic libraries tended to serve and sustain the reading interests of persons thirty-five years old and older. Moreover, the main reason for establishing a library service program was to expose the Black community to educational and cultural opportunities denied them from the public library. Exposure to library materials was through reference assistance and various Black history programs rather than through the circulation of books or the use of audiovisual materials. The user population was mainly public school teachers, their students, and former students of the Black institution. / During the latter part of the 1960s, Black academic libraries began to experience a decline in use from the Black community due to the removal of racial barriers from public libraries. This phenomenon could be seen from the description given of the Talladega College library program which remained in operation for twenty-eight years. Yet forty-four percent of Black academic library directors agreed that long established social practices, location of the Black academic libraries, and the public library's inability to meet the needs of the Black community were factors contributing to the continued use of their libraries. In addition, public libraries in the Deep South were cited as having fewer outreach programs to bring Blacks into the mainstream of public library use. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-10, Section: A, page: 4203. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-10, Section: A, page: 5232. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.

This study examined the extent to which Florida public school library media specialists and their programs were mentioned in negotiated agreements and the extent to which Florida public school library media specialists and Florida public school teacher negotiation team members shared similar perceptions as to the appropriateness of including specific items in negotiated agreements. / Data were collected in two phases. First, the content of master agreements in effect during the 1978-79 school year were analyzed to determine the frequency and context in which school library media specialists and media programs were mentioned. Next, questionnaires were sent to a randomly selected group of school library media specialists and teacher negotiation team members from both the Florida Education Association (FEA) and the Florida Teaching Profession (FTP). The questionnaires collected background data on the respondents, assessed their perceptions relative to the adequacy of school library media specialists' representation by the bargaining agent, and assessed the perceptions of both groups toward the suitability of including specific items in negotiated agreements. / Background data from the questionnaire and data from the contract analyses were reported in frequencies. The null hypothesis, no statistically significant differences, applied to the data from the analyses of perceptions, was tested by the Chi Square Test for Two Independent Samples. / Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions were reached: (1) Public school library media specialists in Florida are acknowledged members of the teachers' bargaining units. (2) School library media programs are infrequently mentioned in negotiated agreements for Florida school districts. (3) Many Florida school library media specialists are not actively involved in the negotiations process in their school districts. (4) Florida school library media specialists are more receptive to a separate clause in the negotiated agreement that addresses their conditions of work than are teacher negotiation team members. (5) Florida school library media specialists and teacher negotiation team members do not share similar perceptions concerning the suitability of including proposals in negotiated agreements relative to: (a) reallocation of clerical staff; (b) media specialists' representation on curriculum development committees; (c) use of one day per year for professional visits; (d) allowing experience credit for work in public or academic libraries; (e) media specialists' participation in staff development related to curriculum changes; and (f) the classroom teachers' remaining with their classes during regularly scheduled skill instruction. (6) Florida school library media specialists and teacher negotiation team members did not share similar perceptions concerning the adequacy of the media specialists' representation by the bargaining agent relative to: (a) improvement of the media specialists' working conditions; (b) increase in the number of professional positions allocated to media centers; and (c) improvement of the media specialists' representation on curriculum-related committees. (7) Florida school library media specialists are likely to be treated equally in negotiated agreements if represented by either the Florida Teaching Profession (FTP) or the Florida Education Association (FEA). / Recommendations and suggestions for further study are also included. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-09, Section: A, page: 3768. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.